Raven observed the group of warriors as they listened to Cessas regale her tale of how she had acquired her Staff of Power. There were minimal changes he had made to the designs of their emblems but other than that, their costumes remained the same.
"Seriously, though, that Nevar dude was kinda creepy!" Torip exclaimed suddenly. "I hope I never have to see him again!"
Cessas smirked playfully. "Oh, so you don't want to win a tournament then?"
Raven was too distracted by thoughts of the damage Nevar could do if he wasn't kept in check to really pay attention to Torip indignantly sputtering that that hadn't been what he'd meant.
"I wonder why Raven didn't mention him to us before?" Itir pointed out, silencing the bickering duo.
"Maybe it was his way of keeping us safe?" Wuso suggested, ever the voice of reason. "He wanted us to focus on the quest and nothing else."
Uper nodded. "It certainly seems that way. Whatever his intentions were, we know of this Nevar's existence now at least."
The only warrior who hadn't offered an opinion on the subject was Scorbi. Ever since he had been eliminated at Way of the Warrior on the last day of the quest after picking the black feather, the moon warrior had been more surly and silent than usual. Raven strongly suspected the fact that Torip, who Scorbi clearly did not take seriously as a competitor, having placed higher than him had a lot to do with it.
Raven leapt down from the branch of the tree he'd been perched in and landed in front of the warriors who immediately ceased their discussion. "Good morrow, my friends. I am pleased to see that you are all awake bright and early. Today we will begin another quest."
As soon as the last words had been spoken, the whole group got to their feet. Though it was less obvious in some of the warriors, it was clear that they were all excited and eager to compete once again.
"Our first challenge will take place within the Wizard's Tower and it will involve you all," he informed them. "So follow me and the quest will begin."
The group followed their mentor to the Wizard's Tower, a place that always left them feeling uneasy. They looked up at the building, wondering what kind of challenge awaited them inside its walls.
"Inside the Wizard's Tower is a room where the gold rings you have collected are forged. That room will be the location of your first challenge. Wuso, Uper and Torip, you will be first to face the challenge."
The three warriors Raven had just named followed him inside the tower. He led them to a doorway and stopped. "Tread in my footsteps, warriors, as you will find yourselves in great peril if you touch the floor." He entered the room, walking only on the raised ledge. The warriors lined themselves up in front of a path each. Opposite the beginning of each path on the far side of the room were three steaming vats. Behind the warriors, slabs with curving grooves carved into them were stacked on shelves.
"The task before you, my friends, is to build your paths. Once a path has been completed, the gold seam will flow and a treasure ring will be forged. However a word of warning: do not step on the floor or..." He picked up a small pebble and threw it onto the floor. In an instant, the pebble was incinerated, leaving behind only a small scorch mark where it had landed. "The first of you to complete your paths will claim two rings and the second will win one ring. The last placed warrior or any warrior unfortunate enough to lose their footing will lose a precious life. Are you ready?"
The three warriors nodded firmly.
"Then let the challenge...begin!"
The warriors turned to the shelves behind them, looking for the first piece to add to their paths. Uper opted to check and see if the curve on the piece he was holding would fit onto his path. Torip and Wuso, on the other hand, were darting back and forth, trying to fit piece after piece. After checking the third piece he had picked up, Uper realized it fit the path perfectly and placed it down. There was a small flash of embers and sparks as the piece made contact with the ground.
Not long after that, Torip finally managed to find and place his first piece down. He was close behind Uper who was continuing to do well, using his method of checking the path to see if the piece he had would fit.
Wuso was currently behind his fellow warriors. After trying to fit his first piece by attempting to fit every slab in his shelf there, he had realized that he would have to turn one of the pieces for it to fit. He had eventually found the piece but was now quite far behind his fellow warriors.
Uper's patient progress was paying off. He walked back to fetch his last piece and slotted it into place so that it aligned with the path and the vat. The groove in the path glowed a bright gold as it ran into the vat. He reached inside and pulled out two gold rings.
Almost four seconds later, Torip had completed his own path and had claimed one ring, despite Wuso's best efforts to catch up.
Itir, Scorbi and Cessas now stood where their fellow warriors had. "My friends, which of you will claim the gold? Are you ready? Then let the challenge...begin!"
These three warriors proved to be quicker than their companions at finding the correct pieces. Cessas had taken an early lead but Scorbi and Itir were neck-and-neck not too far behind her. As they went to place down their fourth piece, Cessas ran back along her path to collect her last piece. She slotted it into place and reached inside the glowing vat, pulling out two rings.
By this point, Scorbi and Itir had fetched their final pieces. At the exact same time, they placed them down and reached into the vat, each pulling out a ring to their surprise.
For a moment, the trio stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do until the door swung open, revealing Raven who gestured for them to follow them. Soon they found themselves back outside along with the others standing by their standards as usual.
"Uper and Cessas, you were first to complete your paths so you have each earned two rings. Scorbi, Itir, as you completed your paths second and at the exact same time, I have chosen to award you both with a ring each along with Torip. Place them on your standards."
The warriors did as they were told before Raven spoke again. "Wuso, you were not quick enough to win gold. The consequence of failure is the loss of a life." He raised his staff and, in a flash of light, removed a life from the tree warrior's standard.
"Now our next challenge will involve you plundering the nest of a thief. Follow me, friends."
"I quite liked that challenge because I enjoy doing puzzles and it was nice to win two rings so I could get off to a good start." Cessas said happily.
"Winning the first challenge has made me more confident and I am looking forward to what lies ahead." Uper admitted.
"It was a strange situation that I tied with Itir in Gold Rush but I did win a ring at least so I'm not bothered too much by it." Scorbi stated.
Raven came to a stop at the bottom of a large ladder, the sides of which were made up of leafy vines. Unlike the last time they had faced the challenge, there was now only one ring each on the ladder for them to collect on the way up.
"My friends, here you will be pitted against each other. You must race up the ladder, collecting the ring on the way up if you choose. The first warrior to claim the ring inside the nest will keep the ring and their lives while the losing warrior or anyone who falls from the ladder will lose a life. Wuso, Cessas, I choose you to go first."
The tree and cloud warriors stepped forward, ready to take on the challenge. "Are you both ready?" Raven asked, watching the warriors as they nodded. "Then let the challenge...begin!"
Immediately the two warriors began climbing up the ladder. Cessas had taken an early lead due to her good agility and speed but Wuso was snapping at her heels. As they continued up the ladder, they both grabbed the ring that was available to them.
There was almost nothing between them as they approached the last few rings. Cessas gritted her teeth and pushed herself to climb even faster. She managed to reach the nest just over a second ahead of Wuso and felt around in the nest for the ring. As soon as she had hold of it, she held it above her head, grinning widely. Wuso, meanwhile, hung his head in disappointment.
"Scorbi, Itir, which one of you will reach the ring first? Are you ready?"
The two male warriors nodded, though Scorbi's was more confident than Itir's.
"Then let the challenge...begin!"
Almost immediately, Scorbi began climbing up the ladder, scaling it with ease. Itir, on the other hand, seemed to be rooted to the spot as he glanced fearfully up at the ladder. It looked too high, especially up where the nest was. He kept making motions as though he wanted to try to climb but couldn't bring himself to actually do it. No matter what he told himself, his limbs didn't seem to want to cooperate.
Meanwhile Scorbi had collected his ring and was now rapidly approaching the nest. He currently had no idea that Itir hadn't even begun to climb the ladder as he reached inside the nest and pulled out the ring.
"Torip, Uper, which of you will join Cessas and Scorbi in triumph? We shall soon find out. Are you ready?"
The wave and sun warriors nodded firmly.
"Then let the challenge...begin!"
The two warriors began to climb. Torip, thanks to his great agility, was soon able to pull ahead of Uper and pulled his ring off the ladder as he continued to climb. Uper, who was about two rungs below him, decided to collect his ring when he reached it. They continued to climb, Uper trying to speed up when he saw Torip reaching into the nest. It was to no avail, however, as Torip held the ring aloft
As the warriors regrouped by their standards, Raven addressed them. "Warriors, most of you have won rings. Place them on your standards."
Everyone aside from Itir did as they were asked before they turned to face Raven again. "However, Wuso and Uper, you both lost the race while you, Itir, refused to climb. All three of you must lose a life."
Raven raised his staff and removed a life from the warriors' standards. "Now our next challenge takes place on solid earth and requires more brains than brawn. Follow me, friends."
"That challenge was rather enjoyable. I would have liked to have won but Torip was just faster than me." Uper said calmly.
"What was already an easy challenge was made even easier by my opponent refusing to even climb. I only need to gain 2 more rings to get into my rightful place as the lead and I will do so." Scorbi vowed.
"Climbing up the ladder was really fun. It was tough at some points but once you got into a rhythm, it wasn't so bad. Now I'm in joint second place and I'm hoping I can stay near the top." Torip revealed.
Raven continued walking, the warriors following behind him until he came to a bridge. "My friends, this is the Riddle Bridge. We have faced this challenge before so it needs no explanation. Cessas, you are the current leader so you will walk the path. Scorbi, Torip, you are in equal second place. One of you will assist Cessas in this challenge but who will it be?"
Raven placed his hands behind his back for a few seconds before moving them back in front of him, showing that they were now clenched into fists. "In one of my hands is a black feather. Whoever picks this hand will take part in the challenge. Scorbi, choose."
Scorbi's eyes darted from the left hand to the right for a few moments before he made his decision. He pointed silently to Raven's right hand. Raven opened his fist and turned his hand over, revealing a tiny black feather sitting on his palm.
"Very well, Scorbi, you will face this challenge with Cessas. Take up your positions."
Cessas walked onto the stone in front of the bridge while Scorbi moved to the stand where the book was kept.
"Scorbi, open the magical book and it will pose a riddle. There will be very little time for you to solve this riddle and for Cessas to cross safely so you must work quickly. Are you both ready? Then let the challenge...begin!" As he said the last word, he turned the hourglass he was holding over and the sands began to fall.
Scorbi opened the book and a voice rang out: "Light as a feather, there is nothing in it. The strongest can't hold it for more than a minute."
"Right, okay, so it's something light but also something you can't hold for more than a minute." Cessas went through her thought process aloud. "Maybe it could be air? That would fit, wouldn't it?"
"There's no A near the start of the bridge, though." Scorbi pointed out and the cloud warrior visibly deflated before suddenly brightening up again.
"Wait, no, I know what it is! It's breath! Your breath is light as a feather and very few can hold it for more than a minute!" Cessas exclaimed brightly.
They checked to make sure the answer was there on the bridge. Once they had confirmed that all the letters were there, Cessas stepped onto the B confidently. When nothing happened, she stepped on the rest of the stones that spelt out the word breath until she had crossed the bridge safely and taken the two rings from the skull at the end. Scorbi followed along behind her and she gave him one of the rings.
"Well done, Cessas and Scorbi. Your wits were more than a match for the Riddle Bridge. You have each earned a gold ring. Place them on your standards."
The two warriors did so and Raven continued. "Our last challenge of the day will involve you working together as teams to defeat a new foe. Come."
"I found the riddle pretty easy to solve. At first I was convinced it had to be air because it made sense but you couldn't spell air on the bridge so I gave it some more thought and came up with breath. Luckily for us, it was the right answer so I'm still in first place." Cessas said happily.
"I'm still only one ring behind. I'm hoping that I can win the next challenge and become the leader myself." Scorbi stated.
Raven stopped behind two piles of three large stones. The warriors could also see several tall red poles in groups of 2, a small gap between each pole but a fair distance between each gate. On top of each pole laid a large yellow egg with red veins. None of them knew what creature the eggs could possibly have belonged to. They also spotted two demons standing beneath stone archways and two levers, though there was no way any of them were pulling them.
"This is Millstone Towers. The stone demons you see are blocking your exit through the archway but there is a way to defeat them. Pull the lever and it will release a magical potion that will instantly turn the demon to dust. The lever, however, is out of your reach so you must use the millstones to gain sufficient height. The millstones are heavy and will require three of you to manouevre them. Itir, Uper and Scorbi, you will form one team. Cessas, Wuso and Torip, you will work together as their opponents. My friends, be warned. Speed may not be your best course of action here. If you knock down a dragon's egg, it will break open and release a foul gas which will render you immobile, albeit temporarily. Once one team has passed through the archway, the surviving stone demon will turn its wrath on those who linger behind. Are you all ready?"
Both groups nodded firmly.
"Then let the challenge...begin!"
As the race began, both teams picked up their first millstones and began to run towards the first gate. Itir could be heard telling his teammates to slow down as they went through the gate, something that Cessas' team had figured out already.
As Itir's team were trying to get their millstone through, they noticed that Cessas' team were making good progress, moving quickly between the gates and slowing down as they passed through between the poles. Just then, the millstone knocked against the pole, causing the egg atop it to wobble precariously. Luckily, for them, it did not fall.
By the time, they had finally made it through the first gate, Cessas' team were placing the first millstone down and were running back through the poles to fetch their second.
"We need to change our strategy!" Itir called out. "We need one person at the front rather than two or we're just going to knock the eggs down!"
Unfortunately, just as he had said this, they knocked into one of the poles of the third gate. This time, luck was not on their side as the egg fell to the ground, cracking open and releasing a green cloud that rendered them unable to move.
Noticing their opponents' predicament, Cessas' team moved forward confidently with their second millstone. They were almost through the last gate when the edge of their millstone nudged the pole slightly. It was enough to dislodge the egg and they, too, ended up immobilised by the gas.
Itir, Scorbi and Uper soon realized that the effects of the gas were wearing off. They moved through the last gate and placed their first millstone, running back to get their second just as Cessas' team were regaining the ability to move.
They placed the millstone down, making sure to turn it so it was positioned correctly before running back to fetch their final millstone. Both teams were now being quite cautious, not wanting to risk knocking down another millstone.
Itir's team had changed their strategy as he had suggested and found that they weren't knocking against the poles as much as before. They were still behind the other team, however. Unless they knocked down an egg, it seemed likely that they would lose.
Both teams passed through the final gate together and went to place their millstones. Itir's team had to turn their millstone before placing it. Meanwhile their opponents placed their final millstone, completing their tower. Cessas climbed up onto it and pulled the lever.
The demon standing in front of the archway vanished in flames. Cessas, Wuso and Torip exchanged glances before running through, each of them picking up a ring that had been left behind.
Itir's team were turning around, preparing to go for their last millstone. They didn't see the surviving demon lift its head and orange beams of light emanate from it before they disappeared in fiery smoke.
Raven looked up as Cessas, Wuso and Torip walked towards him, lining up in front of their standards. "Well done, warriors. Though you were temporarily paralyzed, you were first to make it through the archway and have earned a ring each. Place them on your standards."
The three warriors did as they were told, Cessas noticing that she now only needed to collect one more ring to win back a life if necessary. She wondered if it was possible to win back an eighth life.
"Now I must rescue your fellow warriors from the stone demon's wrath." Raven raised his staff and, in a flash, returned Itir, Scorbi and Uper. "Warriors, you also fell victim to the noxious gas and were beaten to the archway. Each of you must lose a life."
The three warriors watched as a life disappeared from their standards in a flash of light.
"Our first day of challenges is over. We shall return to camp and rest for the night. Tomorrow new challenges lie ahead for you all. Follow me."
The warriors followed behind him, chatting animatedly to each other as they returned to their camp.
End of Day Positions
1st - Cessas - 7 lives 6 rings
2nd - Torip - 7 lives 4 rings
3rd - Scorbi - 6 lives 4 rings
4th - Uper - 5 lives 3 rings
5th - Wuso - 5 lives 2 rings
6th - Itir - 5 lives 1 ring
Next Time on Raven
Which warriors will have the wisdom to claim the rings in Demon Square?
Will the Troll be preparing for a feast in Troll Trap?
Who has the balance and strength to prevail in Balance Beam?
Do the warriors have the courage for the Dark Path?
And who will be first to take on the Way of the Warrior?